


Promises and Courage

by TabathaK



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: M/M, |AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-24
Updated: 2014-09-24
Packaged: 2018-02-18 14:07:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2351153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TabathaK/pseuds/TabathaK
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John Gets a Clue</p><p> </p><p>Technically AU, only because when I wrote it the US still had DADT.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Promises and Courage

It hit him upside the head much like a 2x4 or one of Teyla’s sticks. There was no life threatening situations or end-of-life-as-we-know-it moments. John was checking his email when he noticed one from his best friend Dr. Rodney McKay. Even the email was normal; Rodney was ranting about his minions and the last mission.

Then, the last line was an invitation to see the new batman movie Jeanie had sent him. This wasn’t unusual, after all, they watched movies or played chess and just ‘hung out’ all the time.

But today that one line stirred something in John that he had tried not to notice he was feeling, and really when he thought about it he’d been feeling like this for awhile now.

John Sheppard, USAF was in love with Dr. Meredith Rodney McKay, and already he knew he’d be doing nothing about it; Atlantis and the fight against the wraith are just too important. He’d just have to live without Rodney in that sense, at least.

There was a knock at his door “Sir, there’s a dispute between some of the marine’s…”

 

Rodney McKay was in love with John Sheppard. At first he thought it was just lust, a passing attraction. After all who in their right mind would not be attracted to that hair, the smile, and his eyes; Ok. So it was a very strong passing attraction but that’s all it was, passing. Well, until it didn’t pass. Instead the man had to have a head for numbers and a hero complex and he seemed to like Rodney, even at his most horrible. Soon Rodney found he had friends for the first time in quite awhile.

Rodney is a scientist, he likes proof, and if giving up chocolate and sharing coffee with the colonel wasn’t proof of his somewhat subconscious love then he wasn’t sure what was. Rodney was also a realist, there was no way he could approach his military friend until DADT was removed; that was if the man’s stupid asinine country ever got around to it.

Then his problem would lie with the potentially friendship ending situation of John not being attracted to Rodney. It never occurred to Rodney that John might not be gay, or at least bi. So Rodney McKay promised himself that if the situation changed, (i.e. DADT was repealed, or the man in question decided to take up civilian math instead of being a military grunt), he would approach John and tell the man how he felt. This was Pegasus after all and weirder things had happened.

 

Now life for our heroes was pretty normal for the Pegasus galaxy, which is to say they hung out, fought each other and the wraith, got married to each other... twice, and got bashed up a bit; Neither admitted to the shared love. On someday in some month on the day of the earth delivery, when all the news and food was new, Rodney McKay and John Sheppard got the best and worst news imaginable.

John was skipping through his email. “Junk, Junk, Lorne’s problem, Complaints, Reports, Regulation change, Junk…Wait” John clicked back to the regulation changes. He read through the Presidential notice about the end of DADT and all of the associated bigotry three times and had been staring at the screen in a stupor for five minutes when Elizabeth knocked on the door and entered his office. “John, have you gotten to the regulation changes yet? What do you want to do about them?” John stayed silent for a few seconds.”We’ll have to announce the new rules. I don’t think we’ll have much trouble given the nature of the work we do here.” Weir smiled “Ok I will leave you to deal with it then, shall I?” John didn’t argue, just nodded and stood up. “How about now?”

Weir look shocked, no doubt surprised that John was accepting the job so easily, as good a man as John is he tended toward procrastination and laziness when lives were not at stake. John, however, was very good at spontaneity, likely due to the aforementioned laziness, and wanted to do this now. He went to the control room and had the tech give him a base wide channel. Then he spit out some speech about the regulation changes, and tolerance and how his office is always open.

As soon as the channel is closed he is off to the lift. He figures that while he is on the topic, he might as well find out what Rodney thought. The government had just removed the only thing he’d regretted about joining up, and he wanted to see how much work he would be doing in the near future. He didn’t think Rodney would have a problem with his sex, just the potential ruin of their friendship, but John was confident that they could move past it if Rodney wasn’t interested, it would be hard, but at least he’d know one way or the other.

The bigger problem would be that Rodney might not take him seriously, which would take some time to prove, time he had no trouble committing. On the way to Rodney’s quarters, John was way-laid by half a dozen people asking questions or in one case expressing ‘concerns’; He made a mental note to watch the man.

 

Rodney McKay didn’t normally care what rules the American military set out for their grunts, but he was on his first cup of coffee of the day, and sometimes before he’d been caffeinated he was a little whimsical. Today he was entertaining thoughts of DADT being removed. Then he read the email, put down his coffee and read the email again. He squeezed his eyes shut and carefully opened them to see that the words on his screen had not changed. He downloaded the email to his PDA, picked up his coffee and went in search of a certain colonel. He’d promised himself after all and if there is anyone Rodney can count on it is himself. He was half way to John’s office, and the control room, when John made an announcement about the regulations changes. 

When Rodney stepped out of the lift, however, John was nowhere to be seen. He checked the man’s office and then the conference room and Elizabeth’s office, where he was told that John had left.  His next stop was John’s quarters. When his ring went unanswered Rodney decided to retreat to his quarters to rethink. As he came round the corner he saw the Colonel pull his hand back from his door’s control crystal without having rung the bell. This cheered Rodney, it meant that there was an outside chance the man would return his feelings. He just had to get the man out of the hallway and into his quarters.

 

John chickened out when he reached Rodney’s quarters, but as he dropped his hand from the door control and turned to leave, the man himself walks around the corner. “Oh hey, I’ve been looking for you.” The scientist says as he walks down the hall and without missing a beat steps into John personal space to hit the door’s control crystal.  Then without moving out of John’s space the man continues

“Come in” John has no choice but to obey, unless he wants to push past Rodney and aside from being rude that would do his libido no good, and this is why he came down here, right?  Rodney followed John into the room, suddenly looking nervous. John isn’t sure whether he should take the opportunity of a quiet Rodney to get what he came here to say out or if he should try to get Rodney talking. He sides with get Rodney talking, he could wait, he’d already waited years a few more hours wouldn’t make much difference.

 “You were looking for me?” he asks.

 Rodney nods, still looking nervous, and asks

“Um. I have… Do you… Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow?” John is shocked for a moment,

“Like a date?” Rodney nodded, and then he starts backtracking. 

“Don’t feel obligated to say yes. Just never mind, ok? Forget I said anything.”

“No” John interrupts and Rodney’s expression and shoulders fall.

“Ok” John takes two steps closer putting him in front of Rodney

“No, I don’t want to forget; Yes, a date sounds great.” Rodney was looking a little stunned.

“And, I’m going to kiss you.” John finishes before putting actions to words.


End file.
